Who's Hot & Not
- 2009 Combine
Offense
Past Hot and Not:
2007 Hot & Not |
2008 Not & Not
-
Play-by-Play Game Notes for
the 2009 Senior Bowl
By
Pete
Fiutak
Who’s
Hot …
The Superstar Quarterback Prospects
Any real question marks about Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez as
potential franchise quarterback prospects were all but answered.
Stafford showed enough athleticism to prove he wasn't a statue,
while he continued to prove his arm strength, while Sanchez, from
all accounts, said everything everyone wanted to hear in the
interview process. Meanwhile, Sanchez showed off excellent
athleticism and more than adequate arm strength. Meanwhile, Kansas
State's Josh Freeman continues to generate a buzz. Not only did he
run well and jump out of the stadium on his broad jump of 9-11, but
he was every bit as big as expected measuring close to 6-6 and 248
pounds..
South Carolina TE Jared Cook
Not only did Cook measure 6-5 and 256 pounds, but the tight end came
up with a work out that many wide receivers would've dreamed of. He
was fluid with a 4.5 40 time, threw up 23 reps of 225 pounds, and
was running back-quick through the shuttle and short drills. He also
showed off excellent hands while looking like a natural NFL target.
South Carolina
OT Jamon Meredith
While he appeared to have wiry legs compared to the other behemoths
working out, Meredith turned out to be stronger, and far more
athletic, than any of the tackle prospects. The 6-5, 304-pounder
ripped off 31 reps on the bench, ran a fantastic 5.04 in the 40, and
moved well in every drill. He looked like a natural.
Boise State RB Ian Johnson
Johnson came into Indianapolis known as a high-character prospect
who'd do whatever was needed for a team. He finished the Combine as
a hot overall prospect who cranked out stunningly strong numbers.
Size wasn't a question mark at a solid 5-11 and 212 pounds, but his
4.46 in the 40 had the scouts checking their watches. The 26 reps of
225 pounds would've been solid for a lineman, much less a running
back.
Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR Maryland
If you're known as a speed guy, you have to show it off when you get
the chance. The scouts wanted to see if Heyward-Bey really was as
fast as he looked on tape, and he came through with a blazing, and
effortless-looking, 4.3 in the 40. At 6-2 and 195 pounds with elite
speed, he all but solidified himself as a top 50 pick.
Virginia OT Eugene Monroe and Baylor OT Jason Smith
Helped by the Andre Smith issue, and the poor bench press and
mediocre workout from Michael Oher, Monroe and Smith moved into the
top two slots for offensive tackles and all but assured themselves
of top ten, if not top five, selections. Monroe was disappointing in
the bench, only lifting the 225 pounds 23 times, but he was a
natural in all the drills. He had the look of a day one starter.
Meanwhile, Smith was athletic as well as strong, doing a nice job in
all the drills while running a 5.22 40. He also came up with a
tackle-tying 33 reps on the bench.
West Virginia QB Pat White
The big question mark was whether or not White would be willing to
play receiver at the next level. He did all the right things to say
he wanted to be a quarterback, while being open to other options.
Working out with the quarterbacks, he threw extremely well.
Extremely well. He showed he could make all the throws, even if he
didn't have Matthew Stafford's gun. Measuring at just over six feet
tall was also a huge plus; there's a major stigma against
quarterbacks who can't hit the mark. His 4.5 was fantastic for a
quarterback, and just good enough for a receiver, if needed.
Who’s
Not …
Alabama
OT Andre Smith
In a public relations disaster, Smith became the
talk of the Combine with his sudden departure. He showed up out of shape
and ill-prepared for the workout, checking in at a mushy 6-4 and 332
pounds, while failing to lift or do any of the drills a before taking
off to Atlanta for a pair of scheduled workouts. He thought he could
take off without telling anyone, and there seemed to be more overall
confusion than anything else, but for a player thought to be a
near-certain top five pick, he has some damage control to do.
Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree
And now the scouting world watches and waits for late March. Crabtree
was diagnosed with a slight stress fracture in his foot and wasn't able
to run. Unlike Andre Smith, Crabtree did himself a great service by
hanging around and talking to any team that wanted to poke and prod his
personality further. Now the speed questions will really kick in. Not
expected to run a lightning fast 40 time before, now he'll be measured
against a blazing receiving group that had only four prospects go over
4.5 and with no one over 4.7.
Oklahoma State TE Brandon Pettigrew
The consensus No. 1 tight end prospect, Pettigrew measured big (6-5 and
263 pounds), but didn't look smooth. He ran a pedestrian 4.85 while
failing to stand out in any one area. He's still considered the top
tight end prospect, but he's not the must-have, sure-thing star he was
projected to be before Indianapolis.
Penn State WR Derrick Williams
Williams was stricken with the flu, but he chose to run anyway. In a
fast group of receivers, Williams came up with extremely slow times,
running a 4.58 and a 4.67. Considering he's not all that big at under
six feet and 197 pounds, he needed to come up with a lightning fast
time. He didn't.
Florida TE Cornelius Ingram
After
missing all of last year with a torn up knee, Ingram was the hot tight
end prospect coming into the Combine with the athleticism and size to
get the scouts drooling. While he checked in at almost 6-4 and 245
pounds, he was average in the quickness drills, wasn't explosive, and
came up with a decent, but not eye-popping, 4.68. Considering his lack
of experience over the last 12 months, he needed to come up with a great
workout, and didn't.
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